Chapter 48: Chap 48

 

“Stop!” It was the first senior grandmaster. “Lian Hua. I want to ask you one question. What did you do?”

I can feel my own skin squeezing out every drop of sweat. “Senior grandmaster… Lian Hua… Lian Hua had used Cherry blood vessel.”

 

The other masters and elders break into a commotion.

 

“What?”

“What are you doing?”

“Aren’t you forbidden fro-”

 

Amidst the chaos, my sense picks up a burning gaze, one I was too absorbed to detect. My strict master, his glare is searing with wrath and discontent. I’ve done it. I may have gotten away if I didn’t try to take out the Cherry blood vessel. Even though I am scared, at least I don’t feel  bad about it.

 

“I have yet to finish my questioning.”

 

Silence returns to the floor.

 

“Explain yourself.”

“Senior grandmaster. Lian Hua… Lian Hua…” I should not tell a lie now. I should not. My sin has already been discovered. A lie will just make things worse. “I was greedy. I have no excuse.”

“Yun An. Do you need treatment?”

“No, master. My qi had been cleansed by Lian Hua.”

 

Her reply manages a few whispers behind the senior grandmaster’s back.

 

“Even so, the tainted blood needs to be removed. You need to be treated.”

“As you said, master.”

“Ying Feng. I believe this trial should stop here today.”

“Indeed, senior.”

“The subject today (representative for Gudu), we will discuss later.”

“I have no objection.”

“Then. Let’s go.”

“Master. Junior masters. Seniors. Yun An wishes to say something.”

“Do say.”

“Yun An wants to drop out. If I may nominate, Yun An would like to suggest Lian Hua as my replacement.”

 

The masters, elders, and the group of Fang Xin must be raising a new commotion, but I have no mind to care. Her words have gained all of my attention. Why?

 

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“Speak your reason.”

“Yun An is self-conscious about her own state. I will not be able to heal quickly enough to go to Gudu at full strength. If I am to stay true to what I have said about wanting the best for the sect, I should stop here. That will leave Fang Xin and Lian Hua as the two candidates. While they are very close in all categories, Lian Hua’s Cherry blood vessel is more suitable to the one-on-one fight of Gudu than Fang Xin’s Heavy qi blast…”

“Hey-” Shi Xin and Li Gao quickly cover Fang Xin’s mouth.

“...If we want to win, Lian Hua is the obvious choice.”

“Yun An. The fact that Lian Hua almost put you into danger doesn’t affect your state of emotion… at all?” The sect master asked.

“Junior master. It is also a fact that Lian Hua retracted her qi from my body. A good deed may not erase a bad deed, but the spirit of repentance is worth every praise.”

The sect master is smiling. “Indeed.” He turns to the senior grandmaster. “Senior. May I inquire about your opinion?”

“I will respect my disciple’s wish.”

“Then I hope everyone does have any rejection.” The sect master smiles at the elders and masters.

“Of course. Of course.”

 

As the elders and masters head to the surface, I bow to Dong Yun An. “Junior master. Please accept Lian Hua’s apology.”

 

She replies to me with silence. When I slowly get back up, I see her eyes just following my every move. She observes me for a long time.

 

She closes her eyes. “I take it that you want to apologise, but you are hiding something from me. Come and see me the next day. I want to listen to what you have to say.”

 

As I follow Dong Yun An outside, I see my master. He purposely walks slowly to let me catch up. “You are very brave.” Already delivered the message, he goes ahead, leaving me behind.

 

His eyes didn’t even look at me. I know what he means. He is saying that I have become brave enough to disobey him. Weirdly enough, I am not too afraid of him anymore. Perhaps, it’s because I had to talk with the first senior grandmaster back then. In my composure, I contemplate my position.

 

A couple of days ago, senior master Xu Feng came and recruited me. He told me to come to him if my master ever abandons me. I couldn’t trust him. He is in the same faction as my master. I was paranoid that it was a test from my master. However, he did bring up many good points.

 

He told me that my master is playing a dangerous game. After the last fight, he was inciting rumours. He led my young and gullible fellow disciples into thinking that Yun An was having it better than she actually was. It was quite simple since one of the ingredients is being the disciple of the first senior grandmaster.

 

The story goes like this. The venerable senior grandmaster, that the elders and the sect master have to respect, appeared out of nowhere, bringing two kids with him. One of them has a cultivation worse than the third rate of other sects. This very girl suddenly won match after match and accomplished so many achievements in an extreme time-window.

 

Such a story is suspicious to the immature minds. It doesn’t matter if Yun An fought fair and square. Jealousy will settle. They, the mediocre, the average, then release their frustration. Be it the small whispers and loud talks, everyone would know there is discontent against Yun An. Riding this wave that he architected, my master forwarded his complaint yesterday and got Yun An to participate in the unnecessary trial cave. Even if the sect master and the other elders didn’t want to, they had to consider the sect as a whole. Even if the disciples can be easily silenced, my master’s faction and a few other neutrals that have been roused up including some elders wouldn’t be satisfied.

 

Senior master Xu Feng explained to me that this rumour would earn the ire of the first grandmaster. It would also put master Zhao Ren into the spotlight before the elders and the other masters. They would conclude that he was being arrogant, and acting conceited has never been a good idea. This incident won’t result in anything problematic to my master… not just yet, since it isn’t enough to release him of his position. However, it did paint him as a target for everyone else. They would look for his weaknesses and decide his demise in the future.

 

I am not brave enough to peer into such horrid thoughts like my master’s demise. One thing I do understand is that the senior master, if he was truthful, was warning me that my master is a sinking boat.

 

I should look for senior master Xu Feng.